RTC in Action Page 3

Along the route of the Great Redwood Trail in California | Photo by Charles Gandy

Seeds Planted for California's 300-Mile Great Redwood Trail

Posted 05/17/19 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with California, Champions, Connected Systems, Ecology and Environment, RTC in Action, Rural Communities, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful

Hundreds of trail enthusiasts gathered in Arcata, California, on May 4, for a Town Hall to learn more about the Great Redwood Trail—a 300-mile proposed walking and biking trail that would stretch from the shores of San Francisco Bay to the redwoods of Eureka on Humboldt Bay, highlighting California’s wine country as well as some of the state’s most treasured and remote natural areas.

Richmond Greenway in California | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

At the Heart of It: Trails and Public Spaces

Posted 05/03/19 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Great American Rail-Trail, Montana, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, TrailNation, Why Use Trails?

We are pleased to present this new blog series by RTC President Ryan Chao—who will provide monthly insights on the role of trails in connecting the nation, and creating healthy, thriving communities across America. Enjoy!

Opening Day for Trails 2019 on the W&OD in Virginia | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

The Results Are In: Rails-to-Trails’ 2019 Member and Supporter Survey

Posted 04/17/19 by Ben Carter in Taking Action | Tagged with RTC in Action, Success Stories, TrailNation

Thank you to everyone who submitted a response to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC’s) 2019 member and supporter survey. In total, we received more than 8,000 responses—wow! The invaluable insight collected in the survey helps RTC prioritize work for the coming year and into the future. Here are the results!

Photo by Eva Garcia

A Grand Slam: 2019 Opening Day for Trails

Posted 04/16/19 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, California, Capital Trails Coalition, CelebrateTrailsDay, Circuit Trails, Community Events, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, IHTC, Local Organizing, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin, Young Champions

On Saturday, April 13, people across the country kicked off the spring trail season on Opening Day for Trails (Opening Day). For the last seven years, Opening Day has brought trail newbies and long-timers together to say goodbye to winter and get outside on America’s spectacular trails and trails systems.

2016 Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Youth Sojourn on the Circuit Trails along the Camden waterfront | Photo by Kyle McIntyre

10-Mile Developing Trail Project in Burlington County, New Jersey to Provide New Bike-Ped Connections for Thousands

Posted 04/16/19 by Matthew Horne in Building Trails | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, New Jersey, RTC in Action, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Washington

Since May 2012, a broad coalition of nonprofits, trail groups, foundations and agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey has been working to create an 800-mile interconnected trail network to provide new opportunities for recreation, commuting and commerce—and make New Jersey a more welcoming place to live, work and play. Today, more than 300+ miles are complete—and the number of Circuit Trails grows each year, thanks to the efforts of local communities who are investing in the strength and potential of the region.

Skunk Train passing on Willits Rail-Trail | Photo by Laura Cohen

California Invests Big in Trails, Demonstrates Growing Statewide Demand for Walking and Biking Infrastructure

Posted 03/29/19 by Ben Kaufman, Laura Cohen in Policy | Tagged with BATC, California, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Funding, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) recently approved more than $280 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) funding (Cycle 4) to support 59 trail, walking and biking projects throughout the state, with about half—some $139 million—going to trails and separated bikeway projects (hereafter collectively referred to as “trails”). This huge investment in trails comes on the tails of a $1 billion increase in ATP funds over the next decade, announced last year with the approval of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1).

New York's Walkill Valley Rail Trail | Photo by Drew Dupuy

A Sneak Peek from Our 2019 Guidebook of New Jersey & New York Rail-Trails

Posted 03/27/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Circuit Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Hall of Fame, Health and Active Living, Mapping and Technology, New Jersey, New York, RTC in Action, Tourism , Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

Within the pages of Rail-Trails: New Jersey & New York, you’ll find exceptional trails offering views of some of America’s most iconic natural treasures, such as the Great Lakes, the Atlantic Ocean coastline, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes and the Catskill Mountains. In this new guidebook, we highlight 58 of the region’s top rail-trails and other multiuse pathways, and as its editor, I’m thrilled to present you with this sneak peek of what’s inside. Rail-Trails: New Jersey & New York will be available next month, but here are few excepts and photos from the book to get your wheels turning!

Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Plan biking tour in Brownsville, TX | Photo by Frontera Media

Major Trail Developments, New Potential Funding Streams in the Lone Star State

Posted 03/25/19 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy | Tagged with Caracara, Equity, Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Texas, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

With the Texas Legislature currently in its every-other-year session, RTC and the Texas Coalition for State Parks are actively supporting legislation to ensure that an existing sporting goods tax originally intended for parks and recreational space—including trails—actually goes to parks (and trails). 

Keith on the Route of the Badger in Wisconsin | Photo by Ben Carter, courtesy RTC

Embracing Change

Posted 12/21/18 by Keith Laughlin in America's Trails | Tagged with History Happened Here, RTC in Action

As I reflect on my tenure and how our work has evolved since that day in 2001, I’m proud of RTC’s position at the forefront of the active transportation movement. We have grown significantly in the past two decades, seizing new opportunities to first build rail-trails and now to maximize those trails by connecting them with each other. Today, we have powerful initiatives underway designed to catalyze the development of trail networks nationwide.

Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

Protecting Trails in 2018: Five Ways We Mobilized in Communities This Year

Posted 11/15/18 by Amy Kapp, Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, Case Studies, Community Events, Corridors and Railbanking, Demand for Trails, Equity, Federal, Funding, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Legal Issues, Local Organizing, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wisconsin

All across the country—from the great redwoods of California, to the trestles of Missouri, to the stream valleys and neighborhoods of Baltimore, Maryland—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and the national trail community put itself on the front lines to protect and defend trails in 2018. Here are five ways we mobilized in communities this year.

Flint Hills Trail State Park | Photo courtesy Kansas Tourism

Kansas’ Flint Hills Trail State Park

Posted 11/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Kansas, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Nestled into the gentle greens and golds of a vast prairie, rolling under leafy branches arched overhead like cathedral rooftops, and connecting small towns with friendly Midwestern charm, the Flint Hills Trail State Park proves there’s no place like Kansas.

Dave Schlabowske, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, discusses the value of building a Trails Caucus | Photo by Brian Housh, courtesy RTC

Trail Caucus Kicks Off to Connect Wisconsin as New Projects Build Momentum

Posted 10/10/18 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

Last week, an active and enthusiastic crowd of public officials, trail advocates, business owners and avid cyclists in Wisconsin gathered at the Wisconsin Bike Fed offices and Velobahn Coffee & Cycle to kick off the state’s newly formed Legislative Trails Caucus.